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air pollution control
HowTo: Control Process Mist ELIMINATORS
By Fred Mueller, Kimre Inc.
A
structured-media mist
eliminator is less prone
to plugging than con-
ventional knitted-mesh
mist eliminators, achieves
higher removal efficiencies per unit of pres-
sure drop, and has lower energy consumption
and operating costs.
Many process air and gas stream prob-
lems involve mist carryover and mist
eliminator plugging. This often results in
reduced product yield, excessive energy
usage, corrosion of plant equipment, short-
er-than-expected equipment and catalyst
life, shortened plant run times, and/or not
meeting output capacity requirements.
Mist eliminator basics
Any time a liquid comes into intimate
contact with a flowing gas – as happens
in many manufacturing processes – the
entrainment of liquid droplets into the
gas stream generates a mist. This mist
can result in process inefficiencies, product
losses and equipment damage.
The basic function of a mist eliminator
is to collect and remove droplets from a
gas stream. This is accomplished when the
droplets within the flowing gas strike the
mist eliminator media and are captured.
The material coalesces on the media, and
the larger droplets that form flow by grav-
ity to a drainage area and are recovered.
The type of mist eliminator appropriate
for a particular application is determined
by the particle size of the mist to be col-
lected. In order to select a mist eliminator
and ensure that it functions efficiently, it is
necessary to define the size of the droplets
present in the system. Droplets are classi-
fied based on their particle diameters:
• Sprays: larger than 10 microns
• Mists: 10 microns to 1 micron
• Aerosols: smaller than 1 micron
The fibers of the mist eliminator media
collect droplets by three different mech-
62 Pollution Engineering november2007 | HowTo Guide
anisms (Figure 1) – inertial impaction
(≥ 10-20 microns), interception (for drop-
lets down to 1-3 microns in diameter)
where droplets travel along the flow path
but are caught (intercepted) as they pass
between the fibers. Brownian diffusion –
depending on the droplet size. During
Particle collection mechanisms
include inertial impaction, intercep-
tion, and Brownian diffusion.
inertial impaction, large (≥ 20-30 microns)
droplets traveling in a straight line, devi-
ating from the flow of the gas, strike the
surface of the cylindrical fiber, and are
collected as they impinge on the fibers.
Interception, which applies to droplets
down to about 1 to 3 microns in diameter,
takes place when the droplets travel along
the flow path but are caught (intercept-
ed) because they cannot pass between the
fibers. Brownian diffusion affects particles
smaller than 1 micron in diameter. When
gas molecules collide with small mist drop-
lets, the droplets gain kinetic energy in the
form of random motion; the smaller the
particle, the greater its random motion,
and the greater the likelihood that it will
contact and be collected by the fibers.
Mist eliminators are available in several
different styles:
• Vane packs, also known as chevron or
plate-type mist eliminators, consist of
closely spaced corrugated plates that
force mist-containing gas to follow
tortuous paths
• Candle filters, or fiber beds, employ
fine fibers, generally of plastic or glass,
packed into a mat and wound into a
cylinder
• Wire-mesh (or knitted-mesh) mist
eliminators consist of multiple layers
of mesh knitted from metal or plastic
monofilaments
• Structured-mesh mist eliminators
are comprised of interlocked plastic
monofilaments resembling a ladder or
honeycomb
Vane mist eliminators are generally
more effective for larger droplets (10 – 20
microns). They are usually more expensive
than a mesh pad for the same application.
Candle filters and conventional knit
mesh pads can plug readily; if the liq-
uid being captured is not perfectly clean,
it will eventually clog the media, which
must be cleaned periodically and eventu-
ally replaced.
Kimre Inc, Miami, Fla., has developed
a highly efficient structured-mesh mist
eliminator to overcome these and other
disadvantages of the mist eliminators cur-
rently on the market.
Operation
In applications where solids exist candles
(fiber-beds) should not be used. Many
mist eliminator applications are designed
for excess capacity to compensate for
the solids in the gas stream. However
such mist eliminators are not designed
to replace the function of the gas clean-
ing system’s wet scrubber. Plugging and
the attendant high pressure drop make
frequent maintenance and replacement
necessary, causing a drop in overall plant
production and excessive downtime.
Low-efficiency mist eliminators can lead
to corrosion of downstream equipment.
Kimre structured-mesh mist elimina-
tors can be installed in multiple stages
in place of unneeded and over-designed
high-efficiency fiber-bed mist elimina-
tors. For instance, units containing com-
posite style 16/96 and 8/96 media have
been installed upstream of fiber-bed can-
dles filters to extend their useful life.
The Kimre structured-mesh is made of interlaced, high temperature resistant,
A single structured-mesh mist elimi- non-metallic monofilaments.
nator using a coarse 37/97 polypropylene
(PP) mesh easily copes with the presence are attained with other KIMRE composite sure and reduced energy consumption;
of particulates that may pose a pluggage layered mesh configurations, all designed less-frequent (and simpler) equip-
challenge. A system comprised of six lay- to suit the specific application. ment cleaning; reduced corrosion;
ers of 37/97 provides over 99% removal less damage to downstream equip-
of 5-micron and larger particles with The bottom line ment and catalysts; longer equip-
a nominal pressure drop of 1” WC at a Properly selected, designed, installed ment life; reduced atmospheric emis
velocity of 8 ft/sec. and operated mist eliminators can sions; and increased process throughput.
Higher removal efficiencies of smaller reduce plugging and mist carryover. The bottom line is improved economics
particles down to 1 micron, or smaller, This translates into: lower backpres- and increased profitability.

(305) 233-4249 • sales@kimre.com • www.kimre.com

35 YEARS’ EXPERIENCE IN AIR POLLUTION CONTROL

PHASE SEPARATION TECHNOLOGY
TM

B-GON® Mist Eliminators:

KON-TANE® Scrubber & Tower Packing:
• Custom Engineered Applications
• Ultra-High Mass Transfer Packing
DRIFTOR® Drift Eliminators: One layer of Kimre’s
structured media is
• Cooling Tower Drift Abatement compared to random
Fiber-Bed Filters: mesh, on the right. The comparison
shows the Kimre mesh has a higher
• New, or, Replacement percentage of fibers perpendicular to
the gas flow which will result in higher
• Field Repacking collection efficiencies and lower
LIQUI-NOMIX®: pressure drops at the same flow rate.

• Liquid/Liquid Mixture Coalescer &

Separator
• Cleanable, Reusable Media
AEROSEP® Multi-Stage Aerosol
Separation System:
• Sub-Micron Particulate Removal
SXF™ Semi-Cross Flow Contactors:
• Mass and Thermal Transfer
• KON-TANE® Scrubber & Tower Packing

KIMRE, Inc. PO Box 571240, Miami, FL USA 33257

TEL (305)233-4249 • FAX (305)233-8687 • www.kimre.com

HowTo Guide | november2007 www.pollutionengineering.com 63